Folding knives of the type in which the blade is moveable between a position in the handle to an extended use position are well known and are very popular. Folding knives vary in style from the simple pocket knife to the more specialized knives such as hunting knives, bowie knives and camp knives. One popular folding knife is the well known scout knife which has a main blade and additional blades which may include leather punches, bottle openers, screw drivers, can opener and similar blades for specialized use. While these various types of folding knives may be provided in different sizes and different shapes, depending upon the particular style and intended use, they all include a main blade which is pivotally secured in a handle. In the unfolded or use position, the blade extends forwardly from the handle and the blade may be folded into the handle when not in use for safety and for compactness.
One particular safety concern when using knives, particularly folding knives, is that the user's hand can slip forwardly along the handle bringing the hand or fingers of the user into contact with the edge of the blade causing injury. As a result, there are suggestions in the prior art to provide various types of protection to the user's hand. Fixed blade knives often have a hilt which projects between the handle and blade as a safety feature.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,901,824 and 3,108,375 both show detachable finger guards for knives.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,832 shows a razor knife with a blade guard longitudinally displaceable on the handle between an outer, extended position and a retracted position exposing the point of the blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,293,892 shows a knife with a slidable blade guard which extends parallel with the space from the cutting edge to protect the user's thumb from the cutting edge when paring vegetables.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,061 shows a folding knife which has a cutting edge and projecting safety guard which is part of the blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,057 shows folding guards on a knife with a folding blade but the guards are for storage only when the blade is not in use and are in the nature of handle sections rather than guards.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,814 shows a knife with a fixed blade having pair of side guards mounted on the handle and moveable between an open and closed position. The guards enclose at least a portion of the blade when in the closed position. An actuating mechanism which includes a button moveable between a forward and rear position, is operable with a pair of side guards so that when the button is moved forward, the side guards move to the open position. When the button is moved rearwardly, the side guards move to the closed position.
Various types of guards or shields are commonly found with specialized knives such as utility knives. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,893 which shows such a feature.
Pivotal swing guards mounted on the blade are available from manufacturers such as Solingen. These swing guards are hilt-like and close against the handle when the knife is closed, and open into the guard position when the blade is open.
While, as indicated above, there are various types of guards available with knives, there nevertheless exists the need for a guard for folding knives which is convenient, easy to use, which provides protection for the user's hands and fingers and which is both functional and aesthetically pleasing in design and detracting from the appearance of the knife. In particular a mechanism for coupling the guard to the blade in a rugged, economical and secure fashion improves producibility of the knife, and its attractiveness to users.